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Not quite ready to panic

Sheesh…yesterday, today and tomorrow in the seventies. I know it’s a bit early to panic but it is starting out much like last winter. If so, I’ll have to start feeding all the hives by mid January just to get them through the winter. And the mites will be awful again next year. I’m hoping that this isn’t a long term pattern. If it is, I’ll have to overwinter with three deeps just to have enough honey for them!

Dan www.boogerhillbee.com
Experience is a hard teacher because she gives the test first, the lesson afterwards

Re: Not quite ready to panic

@Beecurious - That is a pretty cool website! I just typed in my zip code, and for the next month nothing below 0 degrees F! Not bad for MN going into winter. As sick as it sounds, I am hoping for a winter like last year as well - in March it got into the 80s, and there really was not much that resembled a real MN winter. Climate change is an interesting beast....

Re: Not quite ready to panic

Originally Posted by camero7

Had 100% survival last winter.

I hardly lost any last winter either but.....as they were flying most days they were consuming stores at a much higher rate than normal. So, I had to feed most of my hives throughout the winter. Most of mine go into cold weather with two deeps...one filled with honey but last winter that wouldn't have made the grade. Also, here they never really stopped brood production...slowed down a bit but never stopped. As a result mites were more plentiful than ever.
As I see, you are in MA, so even if it is a bit mild you probably won't see flying bees every day. Last winter I doubt if we had more than one or two weeks that the bees weren't flying. And when they fly and nothing is in bloom....they're big time consumers.

Dan www.boogerhillbee.com
Experience is a hard teacher because she gives the test first, the lesson afterwards

Re: Not quite ready to panic

Our weatherman keeps predicting normal snowfall, (NOt like last year). But day after day we get warmer than normal weather and a prediction of breaking a record tomorrow. So with all my plow equipment serviced and ready to go I think there is going to be more companies getting out of the plowing business next year. It is nice to be working on your plow equipment on Dec 2 in a sweat shirt though.

Re: Not quite ready to panic

Originally Posted by squarepeg

dan, i know it sounds crazy, but what if you screened 'em in every other day?

At around two hundred hives, scattered in yards throughout the area...it wouldn't be practical. And, frankly, I don't think that it is necessarily the flying that causes an increased honey consumption. As the temperature rises, the bees' metabolism ratchets up and they break cluster. At that point they are burning surplus calories...flying or not.

Dan www.boogerhillbee.com
Experience is a hard teacher because she gives the test first, the lesson afterwards

Re: Not quite ready to panic

With rain and continued mild conditions in your forecast I just might consider loading up on some dry sugar (and some rain gear) and heading to the bee yards. Getting a little "antsy" myself as I havent had a "bee fix" for about 3 weeks. I fed the heck out of mine and bid them farewell till January, sure would like a peak at them right now.

"People will generally accept facts as truth only if the facts agree with what they already believe."- Andy Rooney

Re: Not quite ready to panic

Originally Posted by jim lyon

I fed the heck out of mine and bid them farewell till January, sure would like a peak at them right now.

Moving mine hundreds (thousands?) of miles away to overwinter would make me crazy.....or at least crazier.
I made a short visit to all of my hives over the past few, warm days. Most would be perfectly ready for a typical, or even a cold winter. But not another like last.
I think I have access to all the sugar I'll need but I am not geared up for feeding everyone. Last year was dreadful. I started feeding everybody in July and didn't stop until the end of March. At least this year I'm going into winter with good stores.
If very mild winters are going to become the norm....I'm going to have to make some changes in the way I keep bees.

Dan www.boogerhillbee.com
Experience is a hard teacher because she gives the test first, the lesson afterwards

Re: Not quite ready to panic

The trend is warmer weather for me as well but with lots and lots of rain. On non rainy days (few and far between) the bees are flying pretty heavily. I did lift my 30ish hives about a week ago and they are still pretty heavy. Most of my nucs are light though. Time to give them some sugar.

Re: Not quite ready to panic

This is an interesting dilemma.
How to feed when the winter is or will be often flying weather.
Slow and steady and they continue to brood and build (here in Florida ).

Can someone discuss how to feed in his senecio so that they put up stores, back fill brood area, slow down or stop producing brood and don't swarm?

*J Lyon - If you need a bee fix you are welcome to come down and "take a peek" at my hives.
The weather is holding most days shorts are fine and one of my yards is right on the Bay.
Feed syrup, mark queens, evaluate brood maybe even graft or make splits whatever you want to teach me!

Re: Not quite ready to panic

Originally Posted by Mbeck

*J Lyon - If you need a bee fix you are welcome to come down and "take a peek" at my hives.
The weather is holding most days shorts are fine and one of my yards is right on the Bay.
Feed syrup, mark queens, evaluate brood maybe even graft or make splits whatever you want to teach me!

Busy tomorrow? Wait a minute, Florida, isnt that down by Cuba somewhere?

"People will generally accept facts as truth only if the facts agree with what they already believe."- Andy Rooney